In my last post, I talked about what I really and truly believe about homosexuality and the Bible. You are free to disagree with me on it 100% if you would like, I don’t have a problem with that. My beliefs, though, make up a big part of who I am and I feel they are important. Even if you disagree, you are still a person and still have a valid opinion and I would never want to take that away from you.
This post is my response to the actual show. I found the entire episode incredibly fascinating, again, I applaud Lisa Ling’s decision to make this, and for having such an open mind on the subject on all parts. I have broken this down into the different people that I am choosing to respond to from the show.
On The Exodus Program:
First of all, wow. I am so incredibly happy to see a program in its current state like this. The original Exodus program was not at all Biblical in what to do about this subject. The original program condemned people for being gay, and made them feel horrible when they slipped. This is not what Jesus does or what anyone else should do. However, did anyone else notice in the show that not once did the new Exodus program condemn people for being gay? Did Alan Chambers ever say that people who are gay will not end up in Heaven? Absolutely not; in fact he said the opposite! God wants your heart, and as He has your heart more and more your actions will change. The purpose of this program is to be help for people who already feel like their faith and their sexual orientation do not mesh together. Who are we to say that is not the Holy Spirit causing a bit of that unrest, and that some of these people truly are not born gay and God is calling them to be what He created them to be in the first place? I was very disturbed by the many comments and questioning on whether Alan Chambers is still gay or not or the people who are a part of the Exodus program. My response is who are we to decide? It’s quite possible that God changed their hearts and therefore their sexual orientations. He is God, after all, and has the power to do that. If there are people out there who believe that God has changed them, and they are happier as married people and heterosexuals, who are we to say that that’s wrong? It’s kind of like playing the intolerance card in the other direction.
On Christian – the young man who has been struggling for 4 years, and the counselor he is seeing
First of all, my heart goes out to this young man. As I do not struggle with this particular thing myself, I have no idea how hard this must be. His heart is so in the right place, wanting to seek God and have a better relationship with Him. My concern is what he is being taught by the counselor on how to overcome it. Janet Boynes also has the right heart and I truly believe that she has undergone a transformation. However, her interpretation is not entirely correct. You see, she places the responsibility to change on the person she is working with. She teaches that if you work hard enough and care enough and believe enough that you can overcome homosexuality. This is absolutely not the case. In fact, it is this kind of teaching that is what is damaging to so many people in this situation. Instead, the responsibility to change needs to be placed on the only one who can, God. I am so happy for Christian that he has been able to experience the presence of God in such a real way! Congratulations Christian! I look forward to meeting you in Heaven someday! However, it is the lie that it is his job to transform himself that he seems to really be struggling with. He believes that who he is already is not what God wants him to be, and that the only way to be what God desires from him is to be straight. Christian, God wants your heart, which I can already see He has it. The more you seek Him, the easier it is to find him. When you struggle, pray for Him to lift that off of you. He will. When you feel hurt and rejected by anyone else, talk to Him about it. He will never reject you, no matter what you have done. If you slip up, don’t worry about it. Talk to God about it. Accept His grace and forgiveness, and allow Him to show you where you are supposed to go from there. Take it one day at a time. Do not let your sexual orientation define you. Learn to identify yourself as a child of God, one who is already what God wants you to be, and live in that truth. Live in what you know God loves about you! You are creative, you are talented, you are strong.You are not sin, you are not a bad person. You are already redeemed.
On The Naming Project
It is hard to explain my thoughts on this program. First of all, I love seeing pastors reach out to youth who are struggling with this. I love seeing people teaching youths that they are loved no matter what, and feeling accepted by God. I may not agree on the actual doctrine they teach, but that is really okay with me. The important thing to me is that there is someone out there who understands that kids who are homosexual need Jesus just as much as those who aren’t, and who want to teach them to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow God. It’s programs like these that will help keep kids in the church and following God instead of turn them away, and I am incredibly grateful for this. If one of my children ends up being gay, I want them to know that God still loves them and I do too. It’s only by transformation of the Holy Spirit that this would be able to be left behind, not by my Bible thumping or condemning or hating. My job is to love and to show people Jesus through my actions and my words. My heart goes out to this program.
Well, that’s pretty much it for now. I’m sure I will elaborate more later, and I would love to open up the discussions and comments. Like I said, you can disagree with me if you like, that is perfectly okay with me. These are just my thoughts for now, and I have many more that will come up eventually. Blessings to everyone!
A Flutter of Butterflies 